The third quarter is always the longest, and this year has been longer than most by about a decade. Participation is way down and classes seem to go on forever. And it’s my job to do something about it. So,
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Undeveloped Thoughts
The story goes that when my dad went away to college, he was going to study economics. On his first trip home, he told my grandfather that economic concepts bounce off his head like billiard balls and that he was
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We Roll On
It’s pushing 4:30 in the afternoon as I pedal up to River and La Cholla, my favorite spot on my ride home from school. If I’m lucky, something like this version of David Bowie’s Space Oddity will land on my
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Four Practices Worth Carrying Forward
I have 11 desks in my classroom and zero periods in which they are all filled. Normally, I would have 32 desks and one or two classes completely full classes. Going into 3rd Period the other day, with 10 students,
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Time to Vote, or Not
It’s time again for what’s becoming a quadrennial visit into the world of social studies. Four years ago in Teaching and Practicing the Civics of Voting, I argued that the merits of not voting should be discussed in lessons about
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Why Old People Say It All The Time
(This is an edited version of my contribution to 3Ps in a Pod: An Educational Podcast, Season 7 Episode 12, Dear Me: A Letter to My Beginner Teacher Self, produced by the Arizona K12 Center.) Hey, Well, I said yes to
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Alternate Reality for an Unreal Year
We live in unreal times, but at least we haven’t lost our sense of humor. The most recent meme making the rounds on social networks declares, “I’m not buying a 2021 planner until I’ve seen the trailer.” Still, 2020 is
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Forward Into a Foggy Future
I’ll make a claim: No matter how well informed, unbiased, smart, and well-meaning you are, you still have been wrong over and over in what you consider to be true regarding the Covid-19 pandemic. Too much is changing too fast
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This Is Why I Go To Games
Let me tell you about two of my students. He’s a fun guy with a lot of friends. He doesn’t make a great effort in math but usually pulls it together by test time and does ok. He’s the kind
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I Don’t Like My Shadow
I shamed a student once. She was kind, high performing, never got in trouble, participated positively in class activities, and had a good sense of humor. She started to ask something in what I thought was a sarcastic tone, and as
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